The cyber crime police arrested three individuals on Monday, accused of being involved in a digital scam that swindled Rs80 lakh from a woman. The arrested suspects have been identified as Mahendra Nai (27), Poonam Chand (25), and Sandeep Kumar (27), all hailing from Rajasthan.
The investigation began after Pratipal Kaur, a resident of Sector 11A, lodged a complaint. Kaur reported receiving a phone call from a person claiming to be from Mumbai Police’s crime branch. The caller told her that a mobile number linked to her Aadhaar was being used by one Naresh Goel for money laundering activities, with 24 complaints filed against it. Kaur was informed that she was a prime suspect in the case and was threatened with imminent arrest unless she made a hefty deposit into a so-called ‘surveillance account.’
The caller assured her that the money would be refunded if she was cleared of involvement. Following further instructions, Kaur downloaded Skype, where she received an official-looking order containing details about Naresh Goel’s alleged illegal activities. She was told to remain isolated in a room away from her family to avoid alerting anyone. In her panic, Kaur complied and deposited Rs80.3 lakh into the provided bank account.
It was only after the transaction that Kaur realized she had been scammed.
Through technical surveillance, police tracked the trio to Nagaur and Sikar in Rajasthan, where they were arrested. A SIM card used in the scam was also seized. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine if these individuals are behind other similar fraudulent schemes.
